Casino Chip of the Day

I think this is my last chip from the Las Vegas area; I'll be moving south to Jean and Laughlin next.

State: Nevada
City: Henderson
Casino: Barley's

Today's chip of the day comes from Barley's Casino in Henderson, NV. Barley's is located on East Sunset Road in the northwest corner of Henderson, just west of where East Sunset becomes West Sunset (explain that one), about a mile or so north/northwest of Sunset Station Casino. Barley's is located in a strip mall set back slightly from Sunset Road.

Barley's opened in January, 1996. The NGC's record of ownership runs multiple pages, but it appears that Station Casinos has been a partner in the venture since the beginning. The other partner was the Greenspun Corporation, which manages assets for the Greenspun family of Henderson. (The Greenspuns also own the Las Vegas Sun newspaper). Currently, Barley's is part of Wildfire Gaming, which also owns the Wildfire chain of casinos, as well as the Wild Wild West Casino. Wildfire itself is a division of Station Casinos.

Barley's website bills it as the largest brewpub in the Las Vegas valley as well as the only one in Henderson, brewing 3,000 barrels of microbrew per year. In 2002 or so, when I would have visited, Barley's casino included 200 slots and 8 table games. MOGH indicates that they removed their table games in 2004.

The chip is a cream-colored Bud Jones chip (no logo) with a white inlay and text in red and black. There are six pairs of inserts along the rim, in blue.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

State: Nevada
City: Henderson
Casino: Barley's

I wish they wouldn't center the value between the "$" and the "1". Visually, it makes the insert appear crooked. The "1" should be in the center, just above the space between the "V" and the "A" in "NEVADA".

Finally got back logged onto my computer and updated the directory to include the last couple of chips. Barley's brings the thread's count for casinos in Nevada to an even 200. The grand total for the thread (if I didn't miscount) is 762.

State: Nevada
City: Jean
Casino: Nevada Landing

Today's chip of the day comes from the Nevada Landing Hotel & Casino in Jean, NV. Nevada Landing was located on the west side of Interstate 15 on Nevada state highway 161, about 12 miles north of the California state line. Officially, Jean has a population of exactly zero, as local residents live in nearby towns; before nearby Primm was named in 1996, the casinos there actually referred to themselves as being in Jean. The town was originally called Goodsprings Junction, but was renamed in 1905 for the local postmaster's wife.

Nevada Landing was a hotel/casino designed to resemble a pair of steamboats. The property was built in 1989 and was originally owned by Gold Strike Resorts, which also owns the Gold Strike Hotel & Casino on the other side of the freeway. Gold Strike sold Nevada Landing in 1995 to Circus Circus, which later became Mandalay Resorts, which was acquired by MGM Resorts in 2004. MGM closed Nevada Landing in 2007 to make room for a master planned community which never materialized, and the site was demolished in 2008. The casino appears to have been about 35,000 square feet with (at one point) 800 slots and 17 table games.

An interesting anecdote about Nevada Landing is that when it was torn down, they found that the concrete had contained large numbers of chips from Pop's Oasis casino, which closed in 1988. The owner of Pop's was also a partner in Nevada Landing and may have disposed of the chips in an easy and quick way. Supposedly, chips from the Sands were also found in the foundation of the New Frontier when it was demolished in Las Vegas. Such a thing is not likely to happen these days, as NGC Regulation 12 governs the destruction of chips when they are taken out of circulation or the casino closes, but it's rumored that there's a whole lot of chips at the bottom of Lake Mead from the old days.

Both sides of the chip are shown below. The chip is a white Chipco product with a satin finish; the front has the casino's name in blue with steamboat smokestacks in gold behind it; the rear has an image of a steamboat.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

State: Nevada
City: Jean
Casino: Nevada Landing


An interesting anecdote about Nevada Landing is that when it was torn down, they found that the concrete had contained large numbers of chips from Pop's Oasis casino, which closed in 1988. The owner of Pop's was also a partner in Nevada Landing and may have disposed of the chips in an easy and quick way. Supposedly, chips from the Sands were also found in the foundation of the New Frontier when it was demolished in Las Vegas. Such a thing is not likely to happen these days, as NGC Regulation 12 governs the destruction of chips when they are taken out of circulation or the casino closes, but it's rumored that there's a whole lot of chips at the bottom of Lake Mead from the old days.]

When the old Aladdin (Planet Hollywood site today) was imploded we were in the casino the last night it was open in November 1997. I collected a chip for fun (since lost) and asked what would happen to the chips. I was told they would be put into the concrete footings for the new casino.

(I had already drafted this entire post when I realized that Johnzimbo had posted a Primadonna chip as a follow-up to the Primm Valley post but as we don't have an entry for Primadonna or a link on the first page of the thread, I'll just submit this anyway)

State: Nevada
City: Jean
Casino: Primadonna Resort & Casino

Today's chip of the day comes from the Primadonna Resort & Casino in Jean, NV. That is, the area was referred to as Jean at the time, but known as Primm since 1996. Doc wrote about the successor property, Primm Valley Resort, here and to answer his question, yes, Primadonna and Primm Valley were the same property, just with slightly different names. Primadonna was one of the three properties along Interstate 15 at the California/Nevada state line.

Doc's post already gives at least some of the history; Primadonna opened in 1990 and was the second of the state line properties built there, after Whiskey Pete's but before Buffalo Bill's. The Primm family were the original owners of Primadonna Resorts, Inc., which managed the three casinos. The Primadonna changed its name to Primm Valley in 1997. As Ayecarumba posted, they may have changed the name to avoid bad publicity over a child's murder that occurred there. It may also be that they had already planned to rename the resort to match the new name of the area, Primm, which was designated in 1996 to honor Ernest Primm, who originally developed the area back in the 1950s.

Primadonna has a specific connection for me, as this was the first casino I played in as a legal 21-year-old. I went to Nevada with a few family members for my birthday but no one particularly wanted to deal with the hubbub of Vegas (which is a shame, because I might have been able to play at one of the really old institutions, like the Sands or the Aladdin). I mostly played nickel slots but did take a chance on a $2 blackjack table. I didn't have a clue how to play the game and lost my $20 buy-in pretty quickly.

At this point, a more astute reader of my posts might be wondering how I have this chip when I didn't start collecting until 1998. My collection is of $1 chips (or the closest available) from casinos where I have played and obtained a chip from the tables. However, my collection does have a few "anomalies" - I prefer that word to "mistakes" which isn't very accurate, or "cheats" which is a bit extreme. I didn't start collecting until after I visited Primadonna but I did in fact play there, so I feel I "earned" a chip, and many years later bought it online... which is actually kind of sad as the chip is of somewhat poor quality and I could have tried to find a better one.

The chip is a Paulson H&C (SCV) in sky blue with a white inlay. The logo includes two hot air balloons and a biplane, though I have no idea what significance that has to the area or the casino. There are four inserts in a peach sort of color.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

At this point, a more astute reader of my posts might be wondering how I have this chip when I didn't start collecting until 1998. My collection is of $1 chips (or the closest available) from casinos where I have played and obtained a chip from the tables. However, my collection does have a few "anomalies" - I prefer that word to "mistakes" which isn't very accurate, or "cheats" which is a bit extreme. I didn't start collecting until after I visited Primadonna but I did in fact play there, so I feel I "earned" a chip, and many years later bought it online... which is actually kind of sad as the chip is of somewhat poor quality and I could have tried to find a better one.

My own set of rules also allows for this. Sadly/oddly, I'm about to use it for the second time for the same casino. I played at and collected a chip at Sahara. Then I lost the chip somehow. So I bought a chip online. I've now lost that chip, so I'm about to buy one online. This is the only missing chip in my collection, and it's gone missing twice. My collection is in a set of cases in a bin in a closet. I can only assume that sock gnomes must branch out when it's not wash-day.

I don't think that's a bad Primadonna chip. Looks like there's a little dirt in the ridges, but the H&C stamps are crisp and the edge doesn't look too badly rounded. What's with the hot air balloons? I don't remember Primm Valley having any kind of air/flight theme - did Primadonna have one?

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

(I had already drafted this entire post when I realized that Johnzimbo had posted a Primadonna chip as a follow-up to the Primm Valley post but as we don't have an entry for Primadonna or a link on the first page of the thread, I'll just submit this anyway)

Good decision. Johnzimbo had indeed posted his chip image, but it was not only a little out of focus, it was also hidden behind a spoiler button. I'm not sure I even noticed it. Anyway, I only include in the directory the "official" casino chip of the day, the ones with the formatted headers and someone taking responsibility for keeping the thread going. There have been lots and lots of other chips posted as part of the discussions.

I don't recall Primmadonna having a balloon theme. They were more like the Golden Nugget, trying for a "classy" theme in a ghetto. I do recall the coffee shop having a zoo animal theme.

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Ramada Express

Today's chip of the day comes from the Ramada Express Casino in Laughlin, NV. The successor to this property, Tropicana Express, was previously discussed here.

I don't have much to add to the history of this casino, as Doc explained it pretty well in his post. I probably played at Ramada Express in the late 1990s, at the same time I would have picked up other Laughlin chips, but that was not the first time I visited the property. My family made a couple of trips to Laughlin when I was growing up, and I vaguely recall us being there not long after Ramada Express opened. I think I even rode the small-gauge train around the property, because it seemed novel enough, and it certainly lasted longer than playing a video game in the arcade, if you're not good at video games. I know I also stayed there once, but I can't remember if it was the Ramada or Tropicana at the time. The hotel wasn't particularly impressive, but hey, you can't argue with a $22 per night room.

The chip is a white plastic "die/suits" mold with a silver coin center. There is a thin grey line around the inlay that matches the color of the die/suits symbols. Other than that, the chip does not have much to distinguish it.

State: Nevada
City: Laughlin
Casino: Flamingo Hilton

Today's chip of the day comes from the Flaming Hilton in Laughlin, NV. This was the first incarnation of the property that would eventually become the Aquarius, which was discussed here.

The Flamingo Hilton opened in 1990 and was the sister property to the Las Vegas hotel of the same name. Both were part of the Bally's Entertainment empire, which also included the Bally's casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. In a marketing relationship with Hilton, both hotels were branded and managed under that name. In keeping with the flamingo theme, the Laughlin hotel was covered in pink glass, giving its distinctive appearance.

In 1996, Hilton acquired Bally Entertainment, and two years later, spun off its gaming operations as Park Place Entertainment (I assume the name was meant to reflect the location if its flagship property, Bally's Atlantic City, at the corner of Boardwalk and Park Place); Park Place became Caesars Entertainment in 2004. The spin-off included the right to continue to use the Hilton name for some period of time; in late 1999, both Flamingo Hiltons became just the Flamingo. The Flamingo Laughlin then became Aquarius in 2006. I do not have a Flamingo chip in my collection; MOGH indicates that one exists - a cream-colored Paulson with a gold hot-stamped center - but does not even have a photo. They may have primarily continued to use the Flamingo Hilton chips after the change.

The chip is a house mold in a pale blue color with the name of the property embossed in the outer edge. There is a white inlay, with a rough texture, that has an image of a flamingo behind the denomination. There are four dark green inserts around the edge.

State: Nevada
City: Mesquite
Casino: Oasis

Today's chip of the day comes from the Oasis Resort-Casino-Golf-Spa in Mesquite, NV. The Oasis was located on Mesquite Boulevard, across the road from, and just east of, the CasaBlanca Casino, on the west side of Mesquite.

The Oasis (or at least the site) appears to have originally opened in 1959 as the Western Village truck stop and casino, then in the 1980s became the Peppermill, and was finally renamed Oasis in 1995. Until the Virgin River hotel was built in 1990 this was Mesquite's only casino. It was fairly large by the standards of a small town like Mesquite, with more than 900 hotel rooms and a casino that included 800 slots and 36 table games. I would have visited in mid-2002, and remember it being one of the nicer places in Mesquite.

The casino was owned by CasaBlanca Resorts, LLC, a division of Mesquite Gaming, which also owns the CasaBlanca and Virgin River casinos. Mesquite Gaming appears to have been a new incarnation of the previous owner, Black Gaming LLC, which ran into hard times during the 2007 recession and went through a bankruptcy. Due to declining business, Oasis started winding down operations in phases in late 2008 and eventually closed. The property was demolished over a several month period in mid-2013.

The chip is a sky blue Paulson RHC with a white inlay. The name of the casino is in multiple colors, with a palm tree as the "I". The background of the inlay has what looks like the wavy pattern of a pool of water. There are two purple triangle-shaped inserts on the edge.

On my only visit ever to Mesquite, in late April 2010, I managed to collect chips from the Casa Blanca, Eurika, and Virgin River casinos, losing money at craps in all three places. I guess the Oasis was dead but not yet demolished by then. Later that day, I made my only visit ever to the Silver Saddle Saloon in Las Vegas and started a thread specifically about visiting that place.

State: Nevada
City: Pahrump
Casino: Mountain View

Today's chip of the day comes from the Mountain View Casino in Pahrump, NV. For those who aren't familiar with Pahrump, it's a small town on a small road (Nevada Hwy 160) about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. Except, Pahrump isn't quite so small as it used to be (at 36,000 residents, the largest town in Nye County), and Hwy 160 is now multilane divided much of the way from Vegas. Mountain View is/was located off the main highways, about half a mile or so south of the Pahrump Nugget casino.

The history of the Mountain View is not entirely clear. An article I found in the Pahrump Valley Times states that Mountain View first received a non-restricted license in 1989, and that owners John and Debbie McCaw bought the facility in 1988. That leaves room for ambiguity that a) it was previously a non-casino, or b) it previously held a restricted license. Another article twice makes reference to the building being "supermarket sized" so maybe that's what it used to be, and could have held a restricted license, which allows up to 15 slot machines. Mountain View was the second non-restricted casino in Pahrump after the Saddle West.

I would have visited in the early 2000s, probably on a detour from Vegas. In fact, I sort of vaguely remember making a loop to Pahrump, Amargosa Valley, and Indian Springs. At the time, the casino had about 350 slots and 3 blackjack tables. Then, in April 2003, a fire started in the kitchen that spread and destroyed the entire facility, taking the town's only bowling alley with it. The casino did not have a hotel, as casinos in smaller counties are not required to. Articles state that the casino was eventually rebuilt around 2011, though they seem to have kept their gaming license active before then. Since the rebuild, the casino has been slots-only.

I had to obtain a $5 chip as they do not seem to have ever had $1 chips. MOGH identifies the chip as a Bud Jones (every chip is a Paulson or Bud Jones, right?) but it looks more like a Matsui. The chip is magenta colored, with a white inlay and red text. There are 4 groups of inserts along the edge, two black with an interleaving light pink, and a black crescent moon shape.

Yep, looks a lot like a Matsui chip to me. Here are some steps you can try on their "Design your Chips" page to get one that looks a like this:

(1) In the top section, select "Decal Value Chips" then "with inner ring" then "39/40mm 3 colour".
(2) Choose the chip on the far left, the one with four sets of triplet edge inserts.
(3) In the "Inner Ring" section, click on "$" then hit the righ/left arrows below that until you get the $10 version with the inner crescents.
(4) Under "Main Colours", choose (depending upon your color perception)
      Top: Either hot pink (next to last on the top row) or Dayglo Pink (3rd in the 2nd row).
      Middle: Black (next to last in the bottom row).
      Bottom: White (5th in the bottom row).

Doesn't that look quite a bit (though not totally) like ChipmanSpiff's Mountain View chip?

State: Nevada
City: Amargosa Valley
Casino: Longstreet Inn

Today's chip of the day comes from the Longstreet Inn & Casino in Amargosa Valley, NV. Amargosa Valley is a small town about 90 miles west-northwest of Las Vegas, at the junction of US 95 and Nevada highway 373, but the Longstreet Inn is actually located 8-10 miles south on Hwy 373, about one quarter of a mile from the California state line. The Amargosa area was partly developed in the early 1900s to support local mining but by the second world war the area had more or less been abandoned. Modern development did not really begin until the 1990s; Amargosa was not even connected to the power grid until the 1960s.

The Longstreet Inn was named for local figure Andrew Jackson Longstreet. According to the casino's website, Longstreet was, by legend, a gunfighter, but in reality was well-respected for resolving disputes and keeping order. The hotel & casino opened in 1996, and includes 60 hotel rooms and a casino that included 80 slots and 2 blackjack tables. When I would have visited in the late 1990s or early 2000s, I thought I remebered it having a slightly larger games pit than that. I did, however, have to visit on more than one occasion, as the tables were closed on my first visit. Longstreet no longer has table games; they appear to have been removed in the mid-2000s.

I only have a $5 chip from this casino, as they do not appear to have ever had $1 chips (though they do have a fairly ornately decorated $1 token). The chip is a Chipco product in red with a linen finish and a frosted appearance. One side of the chip includes an image of Jack Longstreet.

State: Nevada
City: Indian Springs
Casino: Indian Springs

Today's chip of the day is from the Indian Springs Casino in Indian Springs, NV. Indian Springs is a tiny unincorporated town of less than 1,000 residents on US 95 about 30 miles northwest of Las Vegas, directly adjacent to Creech Air Force Base.

The casino opened in 1985 and primarily served the area surrounding the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field (now Creech AFB). The small casino included 40 slots and 2 blackjack tables, but the tables appear to have been removed in the mid-2000s. I probably visited in the early 2000s but I think I had to try at least twice, as the tables had fairly limited hours. The convenient proximity to the base would lead to its eventual demise. The casino was sold to the Air Force and closed on 10/1/2014 in order to provide Creech with a larger safety perimeter. The NGC gave the owners permission for a temporary closure, to expire in six months, giving them an opportunity to retain their gaming license and consider other opportunities. The casino itself will be torn down.

Indian Springs does not appear to have ever had $1 chips, so a $5 chip was all I could get. The chip is a Paulson RHC in red, with a light blue inlay. There are three long inserts along the edge, in yellow, pink, and blue.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

The casino opened in 1985 and primarily served the area surrounding the Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field (now Creech AFB). The small casino included 40 slots and 2 blackjack tables, but the tables appear to have been removed in the mid-2000s. I probably visited in the early 2000s but I think I had to try at least twice, as the tables had fairly limited hours.

Do you happen to remember the hours of operation? I was amazed at the hours at Headquarters Bar in Fallon, which has a similar customer base. Their table is open two nights only, and opens at 12am on Saturday and Sunday (friday and saturday nights). Were the hours similarly strange at Indian Springs?

Quote: rdw4potus

Do you happen to remember the hours of operation? I was amazed at the hours at Headquarters Bar in Fallon, which has a similar customer base. Their table is open two nights only, and opens at 12am on Saturday and Sunday (friday and saturday nights). Were the hours similarly strange at Indian Springs?

According to some really old notes I dug up, I made the following notation about Indian Springs: "tables closed (7 pm Fri)". I don't know if that means the tables were closed when I visited but opened starting at 7 pm on a Friday, or if I was there at 7 pm and the tables weren't open yet.

The remoteness of the casino was pretty well reflected in their website domain name at the time, wherethehellisindiansprings.com.

State: Nevada
City: Beatty
Casino: Burro Inn

Today's chip of the day comes from the Burro Inn in Beatty, NV. Beatty is a tiny town of about 1,000 residents along US 95 about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

I'm afraid that I can find very little about this casino online. There's a document on the Nye County historical society website about gambling in Beatty, but it mostly focuses on the Exchange Club casino and devotes only a few paragraphs to the Burro Inn. Apparently, the Burro Inn used to be known as the Horseshoe Motel and Atomic Club before it was purchased by the Knight family, owners of the Exchange Club. Beatty could only marginally support two casinos, but a local mining boom in the mid-1980s was a well-timed boost. In 1990, the Knights sold the casino to Sukiaki Izumi, owner of the San Remo in Las Vegas. By the time I would have visited in 2003, the casino had a mere 60 slots and 1 blackjack table.

The casino closed in 2006 and was torn down. The buyer, Ringle Properties, also owned Beatty's two other casinos, the Exchange Club and the Stagecoach. The Burro Inn motel was renamed as the Death Valley Inn; there were apparently plans to franchise it as a Best Western but it's not clear that this ever happened.

The Burro Inn does not appear to have ever had $1 chips, hence the $5 chip. The chip is a red Paulson - it looks like a H&C SCV with a curved hat rim. There is a white hub inlay with a yellow circle over it, featuring the image of a donkey. There are three sets of inserts on the edge, a pair in mustard with white in between.

State: Nevada
City: Beatty
Casino: Exchange Club

Today's chip of the day comes from the Exchange Club in Beatty, NV. The property is right in the center of Beatty, on Main Street (US 95), and consisted of a small hotel of 86 rooms with an even smaller casino attached.

While the building dates to 1906, not much is known about the Exchange Club until around 1940, when it was licensed for a few slot machines as the Exchange Bar. The casino was licensed for live gaming in 1946, and grew to include craps, roulette and blackjack. In 1960, the Knight family of Wyoming took over and grew the operation into a local institution; however, they only held a 20 year lease on the property and in 1980 control of the casino reverted to a partnership which included a member of the Boyd gaming family of Las Vegas. In 2005, the Exchange Club was purchased by Ed Ringle, who also bought the Burro Inn and already owned the Stagecoach Hotel. The casino closed, but the hotel still exists today. Ringle also closed down the Burro Inn casino, some say to put the local competition out of business and dominate gaming in the town. He had plans to develop a 400 room casino resort in Beatty in 2009, but those plans never materialized.

I'm really not so sure when I visited this place. I would have assumed it was in the 2002 time period, but it appears they only had poker back then. I rarely, if ever, play poker to get a chip, so maybe I bough this one and moved on.

While the Exchange Club did appear to once have a $1 chip, way back in the 1950s, they would have been using $1 tokens when I visited, so I have a $5 chip. The chip is a red plastic "die/suits" mold with a silver coin center and six yellow inserts. I've posted a close up of the center, which is a little strange. It appears to be a miner carrying a pick ax, followed by a cow or some other animal. The way the metal is indented, I guess the idea was to show spots on the animal's body, but it makes it look like it's just full of holes. Whatever effect they were aiming for, it didn't quite come off right.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

State: Nevada
City: Beatty
Casino: Exchange Club

Which parts are indented? It appears that the lighter areas (the letters) are raised, but I suspect not.

The animal is supposed to be a burro packing supplies.

State: Nevada
City: Cal-Nev-Ari
Casino: Cal-Nev-Ari

Today's chip of the day comes from the Cal-Nev-Ari Casino in Cal-Nev-Ari, NV. Cal-Nev-Ari is a small, privately owned town along US 95 in southern Nevada, about 5 miles from California and 10 miles from Arizona. Cal-Nev-Ari, obviously, is named for the 3 states.

The town was developed in the early 1960s by Slim and Nancy Kidwell as an airport-based community. The Kidwells acquired the land from the U.S. government, which had used it as a military training base known as Stage Field. It's said that the original population of Cal-Nev-Ari was 4: Slim, Nancy, and their dog and cat. Over the years, the town has grown to a population of around 300. In 2010, Nancy put the entire town - including airstrip, casino, and municipal services - up for sale for $17 million, but it doesn't look like any sale took place. The most recent NGC records show that the casino is still solely owned by the Kidwell family.

The casino itself is a fairly small place, mostly a room of slots attached to a truck stop diner. As recently as 2010, it was still licensed for one blackjack table, though apparently for some years it was only used for special events. Also for at least the past few years, the casino has only been licensed for 16 slot machines and no table games, the minimum necessary to retain a non-restricted gaming license. I suspect they scaled back to the minimum as part of getting the town ready for sale. A legacy gaming license might be quite valuable to a buyer, depending on their plans.

Cal-Nev-Ari holds a particular distinction for me, as I made the highest number of unsuccessful visits of any single casino, finding the blackjack table closed even at obvious peak times. In some of my repeated chip collecting excursions between Vegas and Laughlin, I would pass by Cal-Nev-Ari repeatedly, sometimes twice in the same day, and leave disappointed.

The chip is a white plastic suits mold with a silver coin center, and includes an image of a biplane flying through clouds. There are 4 pairs of yellow inserts.

Both rdw4potus and I have stopped at this casino hoping that the blackjack table would be active. Or at least that a chip would be available to collect. No luck for either of us.

With regard to this thread's index, is "Cal-Nev-Ari" properly alphabetized before or after "California"? I think it may depend upon whether the casino's (not the town's) name has hyphens or spaces or nothing at all between the three, tri-letter segments. Now if the casino name really has stars as separators, as suggested on the chip, then I have no idea at all how to alphabetize those suckers.

Quote: Doc

With regard to this thread's index, is "Cal-Nev-Ari" properly alphabetized before or after "California"? I think it may depend upon whether the casino's (not the town's) name has hyphens or spaces or nothing at all between the three, tri-letter segments. Now if the casino name really has stars as separators, as suggested on the chip, then I have no idea at all how to alphabetize those suckers.

As far as the NGC is concerned, the casino's name has dashes. The Chicago Manual of Style, on the subject of alphabetizing when dashes are involved, says to ignore them. So, I would put Cal-Nev-Ari after California.

State: Nevada
City: Tonopah
Casino: Station House

Today's chip of the day is from the Station House Casino in Tonopah, NV. Tonopah is a small town of about 2500 residents and is, well .. in the middle of nowhere. Tonopah sits at the intersection of US 95 and US 6, about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno, and about 150 miles east of Yosemite National Park. The nearest town of any significant size is Hawthorne, about 100 miles away.

I'm able to find surprisingly little about this casino. It opened in 1982, and by the time it closed (or was renamed) in 2002, it included a mere 90 slot machines and a couple of blackjack tables. The only thing I can find that in any way indicates ownership or management of the casino is an article in the Lodi (California) News-Sentinel from 1997, which states that Davis (California) farming tycoon Jack Anderson had most of his assets seized by the FDIC after a savings and loan failure. Anderson was owner of the Station House, as well as the Maxim Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. It's becoming quite frustrating to not be able to track down ownership of these older places before the mid-late 2000s. Maybe all of these records are buried in a library in Carson City, but they aren't online. I have one printed non-restricted count report from 2002, but it's not the full detail version that includes owners and their shares.

I'm actually quite confused as to how or when I picked up this chip, as Station House became Tonopah Station in 2002. I visited the latter in about 2003, and will post that chip next. I know I crossed rural Nevada at least once in the late 1990s, though I was pretty sure I didn't deviate from US 50.

The chip is a beige "triangle/clubs" mold with a white inlay, and no inserts.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

As far as the NGC is concerned, the casino's name has dashes. The Chicago Manual of Style, on the subject of alphabetizing when dashes are involved, says to ignore them. So, I would put Cal-Nev-Ari after California.

Just to add a little confusion, I tried to check how a common software program would sort these. Here is the sequence that an Excel data sort gives for the following names:

Alabama
Cal-Nev-Ari
California
CalNevAri
Smith

Of course, I don't know that all computers and all software give the same sort results. For now, I have the index sequenced with Cal-Nev-Ari ahead of California, in conflict with the Chicago Manual of Style. No particular justifications other than Excel and a lingering memory that I have used that criterion in the past.

Excel actually has a sort order for the "blank space" between characters. It also has a sort order for the dash and other special characters. I believe this is due to the use of the spreadsheet to sort and organize things vs. rules for human readers. What happens to the list if you put in "Cal Nev Ari" with spaces but no dashes?

I think either is fine for the purposes of the index.

Quote: Ayecarumba

What happens to the list if you put in "Cal Nev Ari" with spaces but no dashes?

Alabama
Cal Nev Ari
Cal-Nev-Ari
California
CalNevAri
Smith

Quote: Doc

For now, I have the index sequenced with Cal-Nev-Ari ahead of California

I was going to ask how you handled the Cal Neva in Reno vs. the Cal-Neva at Lake Tahoe, but I checked the first page of the thread and the former is listed as Club Cal Neva, while the latter has no chip posted (I will be posting one later).

State: Nevada
City: Tonopah
Casino: Tonopah Station

Today's chip of the day comes from the Tonopah Station Casino in Tonopah, NV. This is the successor to the Station House Casino, which was discussed previously.

Tonopah Station opened in April, 2002. The sole owner is James Marsh, a Las Vegas car dealer, who also owns the Banc Club in Tonopah, the Longstreet Inn in Amargosa Valley, and the Skyline Casino in Henderson. Marsh has been the owner since the casino's opening; I found an article from 2001 that referred to the Station House's "new owner" so presumably he bought it then and changed the name. Interestingly, the casino looks like it might have moved at some point. The Station House was located at 1100 Erie St, and NGC records still show that as the doing-business-at address for the registered owner, Tonopah Station House Inc. However, it now appears that their address is 1137 Erie (strangely, their website shows no address at all). I don't know if Tonopah may have done some street renumbering, but typically that wouldn't change whether a location was on the odd or even numbered side of the street.

Tonopah Station's hotel is fairly small - about 75 rooms. At some point in the past, it was branded as a Ramada Inn, but that no longer appears to be the case. The casino, at the time it opened, contained 90 slot machines and 2 blackjack tables. The casino no longer has table games; I'm not sure when they were removed, but it was some time before 2008. I probably would have visited around 2003, when I passed through many of the small towns of central and northern Nevada.

Tonopah Station does not appear to have ever had any $1 chips, so I have a $5 one. The chip is a red Paulson RHC with a white inlay. The front contains an image of a burro, while the back has the image of a man in a bowler hat. I don't know who he is, but he appears on all of their rack chips. The chip has 3 long inserts, in yellow, pink, and gold.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

Tonopah Station opened in April, 2002. The sole owner is James Marsh....

This brought to mind the question as to just how many casinos there are (particularly in Nevada) with "Station" in the name but without any corporate connection to Station Casinos. We've already had several mentioned in this thread.

State: Nevada
City: Hawthorne
Casino: El Capitan

Today's chip of the day comes from the El Capitan Casino in Hawthorne, NV. Hawthorne is a small town of about 3,200 people along US 95 in west-central Nevada. Following US 95, Hawthorne is about halfway between Tonopah and Fallon; as the crow flies, it's about halfway between Tonopah and Carson City. Basically, it's really in the middle of nowhere. Hawthorne is the seat of Mineral County, and accounts for about two-thirds of the county's population. Doing the math, this means that Mineral County has a population density of approximately 0.8 people per square mile.

Several sources mention El Capitan opening in 1952, but some histories of the place indicate that it was originally built in the 1940s, after a previous bar with the same name burned down. A Barney O'Malia built up El Capitan to be the most successful casino in Hawthorne, but when his financial backers saw how successful it was, they demanded more control, and then apparently ran the place into the ground. O'Malia, still listed as an owner on the gaming license, bought the place back in the 1960s.

Today, El Capitan is part of the Northern Star Casinos group, which also includes Bourbon Square in Sparks, Scoreboard in Spring Creek, Model T in Winnemucca, and Stockmen's and Commercial Casinos in Elko. NGC records list the owner as El Capitan Lodge Casino, LLC, which it itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nevada Casino Holdings, LLC. They appear to have taken ownership in 2010, which roughly coincides with El Capitan dropping its table games. The casino currently has about 200 slot machines, and as El Capitan is the only non-restricted casino in Mineral County, that means that this is 3,800 square miles of Nevada without a single table game.

Unusual for a Nevada casino, the $1 chips are not blue or white. Actually, most of their chips seem to break with tradition ($5 are blue or green, $25 are beige). This chip is a brown ochre Paulson H&C (SCV with a curved hat rim) and a gold hot-stamped center. The inserts are supposed to be orange and black, but my scanner keeps distorting oranges and reds for some reason.

State: Nevada
City: Gardnerville
Casino: Sharkey's

Today's chip of the day comes from Sharkey's [Nugget] Casino in Gardnerville, NV. I put "Nugget" in brackets, because even though some sources, including the casino's own website and NGC records, use the name "Sharkey's Nugget" the word Nugget does not appear on their chips or on photos of the casino building. Gardnerville is a town with a population of about 5,600 along US 395 about 10-12 miles south of Carson City.

The building that Sharkey's occupies dates back to 1890, when it was a corner saloon. The first incarnation as a casino seems to have started in 1945, when it was known as the Golden Bubble. A local in the gaming industry, Milos "Sharkey" Bergovich, purchased the casino and renamed it in 1970. Facing an illness, Bergovich sold the casino in 2001 to Harold Holder of the Holder Hospitality Group. The Holder Group was the owner of several casinos that now make up Northern Star Casinos, including El Capitan, Commercial, Stockmen's, Scoreboard, and Model T. A 2009 bankruptcy filing, due to the economic recession, forced the sale of the casinos. After that, Holder seems to have only held on to Sharkey's and a small casino in Winnemucca called Sundance.

At the time of the sale to Holder, the casino included about 170 slot machines and 2 blackjack tables. After that, I'm not sure when the table games were removed, but I would have visited in 2003 or so. The tables were definitely gone by 2008, when I have a more complete set of NGC licensing records. As I was only able to get a $5 chip, I made a few additional visits to the casino over the years to check up on whether they had brought back their tables. On a visit around 2010, there was a small alcove in the middle of the casino in which there were the pieces of a blackjack table and a sign indicating that the game was coming soon; however, on another visit 6-9 months later, the alcove was populated with a few slot machines. I see no indication that they were licensed for tables during that time period.

Unfortunately, Sharkey's closed for good in November, 2014, apparently as part of a second bankruptcy proceeding. According to an article in the Reno Gazette-Journal, a sign on the door indicates that the closure is only temporary. As this was one of the only non-restricted casinos in Douglas County, outside of the Lake Tahoe area, it would seem likely there's enough of a market to re-open the casino.

The chip is a Chipco product in red, with a white center. There is a rainbow-colored pyramid in the center, and four sets of inserts along the edge, in blue surrounded by white. In previous years, under Bergovich, Sharkey's did have real $1 chips, which were green, strangely enough.

A point of trivia:

It seems that the number 7 is so associated with gambling that "777" is a popular theme. For example, as I type this, the ad at the bottom of the page shows a $777 sign up bonus for ClubUSA. Another example is that many casinos (particularly in the Caesars chain, it seems) have their official address as 777 on some street name, with that street really being the casino driveway.

With that 777 theme in mind, I thought I would point out that the Sharkey's chip that ChipmanSpiff posted above is the 777th chip posted as the Casino Chip of the Day in this thread. That assumes that I haven't lost count along the way. If you are interested in such stuff, I am now trying to keep the up-to-date count as a part of post #1.

State: Nevada
City: Yerington
Casino: Pioneer Crossing

Today's chip of the day is from the Pioneer Crossing Casino in Yerington, NV. This is the successor to Casino West, which was discussed here.

This is the third of the Pioneer Crossing Casino locations, owned by two Mikes (Benjamin and Melarkey). The Dayton location is slots-only. The Fernley location had poker tables for a brief time in 2007 but today is also slots-only. I was not aware of that until after their tables were removed, so I do not have a chip from there. The two Mikes acquired the former Casino West in October 2013 and set out to bring up the casino to a standard "they feel Yerington deserves." Pioneer Crossing in Yerington seemed like a decent enough place - I don't remember the old Casino West all that well (I was last there in probably 2003), but the casino looks a bit refreshed. They had two blackjack tables and one poker table, and something like 150 slots.

I visited Pioneer Crossing in early 2014, as I made a lengthy loop from South Lake Tahoe through Gardnerville, Yerington, Fallon, Fernley, and on to Reno, and picked up a handful of chips in the process. I also checked in on some places that didn't work out - Sharkey's still didn't have tables, Pioneer Crossing Fernley had removed theirs, Dini's in Yerington also didn't have any, but I think I finally managed to find the blackjack table at Cactus Jack's in Carson City open, though I had to return later in the day as they only use it on Friday nights. I also stopped in at the Carson Nugget, though I didn't pick up a chip, because I couldn't decide if the place had actually changed its name from "Carson City Nugget" or not. And sadly, the Ormsby House is taking its sweet time on their renovation.

The chip is a white Paulson RHC with a light blue inlay, featuring the image of a wagon wheel. The chip has two long inserts, in blue and orange, though you wouldn't know it from the photo because my scanner diluted it again.

It sounds a bit as if your loop trip in early 2014 was very much like the one I made just a few months earlier in September 2013. On that day, I headed out of Lake Tahoe and collected souvenir chips from Topaz Lodge, Casino West, Fallon Nugget, Fernley Nugget, and Carson Station. I also posted here a note to rdw4potus suggesting that he get back to Yerington because Casino West was going to change names to Pioneer Crossing. Don't know that I will ever get back that way to collect a chip like yours.


Edit (10/6/17): Well, I did finally make it back to Yerington, and I did pick up a souvenir chip from the Pioneer Crossing casino. Recently, a lot of broken links have appeared in this thread, because Photobucket started charging monthly fees to host images for use on other sites. I don't know whether that will ever change, and it is either expensive or complicated for our users to resolve the broken links. The image that Chipman posted of his Pioneer Crossing chip is now showing up as one of these broken links, so I have posted images of my new souvenir here. I don't know whether his chip was the same. Even if it was, I can at least make a new contribution by showing what it looks like under UV light, with just the orange edge insert fluorescing. Unfortunately, I took these two photos of opposite sides of the chip, so the center inlay does not align with the edge inserts in the same manner in the two images.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

State: Nevada
City: Gardnerville
Casino: Sharkey's

Does the rainbow pyramid indicate that Sharkey's caters to a clientel of a certain orientation?

Quote: Doc

It sounds a bit as if your loop trip in early 2014 was very much like the one I made just a few months earlier in September 2013. On that day, I headed out of Lake Tahoe and collected souvenir chips from Topaz Lodge, Casino West, Fallon Nugget, Fernley Nugget, and Carson Station. I also posted here a note to rdw4potus suggesting that he get back to Yerrington because Casino West was going to change names to Pioneer Crossing. Don't know that I will ever get back that way to collect a chip like yours.

Over the next year, there may be enough new chips in that area that might justify a trip. The Hard Rock Tahoe opens next month. There's rumors that Bourbon Square in Sparks may add tables eventually. John Ascuaga's Nugget has new owners, so a rebranding may be coming. I keep hoping that Dini's Club in Yerington will add tables again. And if their current remodeling pace continues, Ormsby House in Carson City should open in another dozen years or so.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Does the rainbow pyramid indicate that Sharkey's caters to a clientel of a certain orientation?

I have no idea - I can't find any evidence that this is the logo of Holder Group or something like that - but I suspect not. If there were to be a casino in Nevada to cater to a particular clientel's orientation, I doubt it would be in Gardnerville. Douglas County is one of the most conservative parts of Nevada.

State: Nevada
City: Stateline (Lake Tahoe)
Casino: Bill's

Today's chip of the day comes from Bill's Casino in Stateline, NV. I'm never sure if Stateline or Lake Tahoe is the correct designation for this spot; most of the area's casino's chips say Stateline, though in this case the chip says Lake Tahoe. In any case, the location in question is just over the Nevada state line on US 50 at the south end of Lake Tahoe.

Bill's is a fairly small casino that opened in 1987, on the 50th anniversary of the opening of Harrah's. Bill's was located adjacent to, and connected to, the main Harrah's building. MOGH indicates that the casino was previously known as the Tahoe Colonial from 1954-1955, as the Tahoe Palace from 1956 to 1959, as the Tahoe Plaza from 1954 to 1961. It was also known as Barney's from 1961-1967 and 1967-1988. Yes, there's overlap in the years of the various incarnations. The history of this place does not seem to be very well defined.

Bill's was the first Lake Tahoe casino to ban smoking, in 2007; the casino closed in late 2009 due to a decline in business (these two things may be related). The building was renovated into a small shopping mall and now features a CVS and a Dotty's slot parlor. I visited Bill's, and all of the other Lake Tahoe casinos, around March 2003. I don't remember Bill's very well, and probably only stayed long enough to pick up a chip. I can't remember how long that particular chip-collecting trip was, but my records indicate I came back with 76 new chips from Nevada and California... so you can imagine I might not remember one small casino. I'm not able to determine how many slots and tables Bill's had, because its license was tied up with Harrah's and Harvey's, and the NGC reports did not break down which casino had what.

The chip is a cream-colored Bud Jones with a white center, and 6 pairs of light blue inserts on the edges.

Worker's found a large safe hidden behind a wall when they were tearing Bill's down. The safe opening broadcast rights were purchased by the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a big production with a live feed was planned. However, nothing ever came of it. At least, I assume they didn't find anything, since the news sort of dried up.

I thought this casino was connected to a nearby motel or lodge via a "secret" tunnel.

I recall that Harrah's had a non-smoking area back in the 80's. Unfortunately, it was the second floor indoor balcony surrounding the open ceiling of the main floor, so the cloud of smoke from the first floor floated up and choked everyone anyway.

Thanks for the interesting posts Chipman! Do you have your collection set up for display? if so, please post a picture. I would love to see it.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I thought this casino was connected to a nearby motel or lodge via a "secret" tunnel.

Could be, but are you sure you're not confusing it with the Cal-Neva (or Cal Neva) casino resort at the north end of the lake? They had removed the table games from that spot by the time I visited in 2011, but the tunnels had existed for a long time there. According to this web page that discusses the multiple delays in the current renovation efforts at the Cal-Neva, here is some of the history:

Quote:

During its heyday from 1960 to 1963, the Cal Neva was owned by Sinatra and became one of the most famous resorts in the country. It drew fellow Rat Packers Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford, and stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Juliet Prowse.

Monroe spent her final weekend at the Cal Neva before she died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles in August 1962. Five small cabins, including the one where she stayed that year, also will be renovated, Radovan said. The other cabins were used by Sinatra and friends.

Sinatra himself renovated the Cal Neva, adding the celebrity showroom and a helicopter pad on the roof. He used tunnels to shuffle mobsters and celebrities beneath the resort so they wouldn't be seen by the general public. The tunnels were built in the late 1920s so liquor could be smuggled in during Prohibition.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Worker's found a large safe hidden behind a wall when they were tearing Bill's down....

I meant to include that story, but by the time I had finished writing up the post, I forgot. There were rumors that the safe might have contained information relevant to the death of Richard Chartrand, who once owned Barney's casino on the site. Chartrand was killed in 1968 in a car bombing. Apparently when the safe was opened, one of the people present was an investigator from the Douglas County Sheriff's Department, hoping that there might have been evidence inside that would help the unsolved case, as there is no statute of limitations on murder.

Quote:

Thanks for the interesting posts Chipman! Do you have your collection set up for display? if so, please post a picture. I would love to see it.

Actually, my collection is stored in plastic chip racks in a cardboard box. But it's interesting that you would ask this question when you did, because as it happens the Bill's chip is not the one I collected at the casino, but a replacement I had to buy online. My first Bill's chip was sitting next to a red $5 chip, and over the years became stained pink. I had to replace 2 or 3 other chips for the same reason. A tip for fellow collectors: red is a strong dye, so be careful how you store your chips.

Quote: Doc

Could be, but are you sure you're not confusing it with the Cal-Neva (or Cal Neva) casino resort at the north end of the lake? They had removed the table games from that spot by the time I visited in 2011, but the tunnels had existed for a long time there. According to this web page that discusses the multiple delays in the current renovation efforts at the Cal-Neva, here is some of the history:

You are right on Doc. The Cal Neva, and the Sinatra tunnels was what I was recalling.

Quote: Doc

Could be, but are you sure you're not confusing it with the Cal-Neva (or Cal Neva) casino resort at the north end of the lake? ... The tunnels were built in the late 1920s so liquor could be smuggled in during Prohibition.

Another possible reason for the Cal-Neva to have had a tunnel could be explained by the chip I'll be posting soon, which identifies it as "America's Oldest Operating Casino Since 1926" - 5 years before Nevada legalized gambling.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

...A tip for fellow collectors: red is a strong dye, so be careful how you store your chips.

Thanks for the tip. Could the plastic be interacting with the chips? I know that when some types of plastic breakdown over time, they give off a gas, and maybe leech some petrochemicals. Of course, some chips have plastic integrated in them and will become brittle over time. I have some old "bakelite" chips that I am afraid of handling now.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Thanks for the tip. Could the plastic be interacting with the chips? I know that when some types of plastic breakdown over time, they give off a gas, and maybe leech some petrochemicals. Of course, some chips have plastic integrated in them and will become brittle over time. I have some old "bakelite" chips that I am afraid of handling now.

I don't think it's related to the plastic, I think it's the red dye in clay chips that's not quite so permanent. In the case of Bill's, it was a plastic chip that was stained, but at least one of the others was not plastic, and neither was the chip it was next to. But speaking of plastic breaking down, one of my chips is a Bud Jones where the outer ring has cracked completely through. I'm not sure if was exposed to extreme temperatures at some point, but I'm fairly sure it wasn't like that when I got it, or else I would have selected a better chip.

State: Nevada
City: Stateline (Lake Tahoe)
Casino: Caesars

Today's chip of the day comes from Caesars Lake Tahoe in Stateline, NV. I'm going to continue to refer to the spot on US 50 at the Nevada state line as Stateline (vs. Lake Tahoe) as NGC records do the same for the casinos' mailing addresses. Caesars was next to Harrah's on the south (technically east) side of US 50. Doc previously wrote about the successor to Caesars, the MontBleu, here.

As Doc already gave some history of this property, I don't have much more to add. Caesars Entertainment had operated the resort since 1979, but sold it in 2005 to settle anti-trust concerns around their merger with Harrah's. Caesars Tahoe was sold to Columbia Sussex, which owned the Horizon Casino across the street, and was renamed MontBleu.

I visited all of the Lake Tahoe casinos in early 2003, and I remember thinking that Caesars was fairly nice. It clearly marketed to more of an upscale crowd, and the high table limits reflected that. If I recall correctly, I had to play at a $15 Pai Gow Poker table, since the blackjack tables had similar or higher limits, but at least with Pai Gow you won't lose everything in 5 minutes. At the time, Caesars had a fairly large casino, with more than 1,100 slot machines and at least 60 table games. By comparison, MontBleu today has half as many of each, so they may have reduced the size of the casino floor after the sale.

Both sides of the chip are shown below. The chip is a Paulson RHC in a grayish-gold color. One side has a gold inlay with a silhouette of Caesar's head. The other side includes an image of the lake. There are no inserts on the chip.

Quote: ChipmanSpiff

Caesars Entertainment had operated the resort since 1979, but sold it in 2005 to settle anti-trust concerns around their merger with Harrah's. Caesars Tahoe was sold to Columbia Sussex, which owned the Horizon Casino across the street, and was renamed MontBleu.

Monopoly? Booooo!
Oligopoly? OK!